Dolphin World Hurghada: what the captive dolphin show really is

Dolphin World Hurghada is a captive dolphin show in Makadi Bay — a pool venue on land, not a boat trip, and nothing to do with Dolphin House, the reef north of Hurghada where wild dolphins rest. Our verdict in one sentence: it is easy to book and the packages are fairly priced for what they include, but it keeps marine mammals for performances, conservation groups campaign against it, and a wild-dolphin boat run by the rules costs less than its pool swim.

Dolphin World is not Dolphin House

The two names cause endless confusion, and booking the wrong one changes your whole day.

Dolphin World is a land-based dolphinarium in Makadi Bay, beside Mini Egypt, about 40 minutes' drive south of Hurghada Marina. You sit in a stand and watch trained animals in a pool, or pay extra to get into the pool with a dolphin under a trainer's supervision.

Dolphin House is Sha'ab El Erg, a horseshoe reef about 20 km north-north-east of Hurghada Marina, roughly opposite El Gouna. Wild dolphins — mostly Indo-Pacific bottlenose, sometimes spinners — rest there by day. You go by boat, snorkel, and see dolphins only if they happen to be there and calm. Our Dolphin House guide covers that trip; dolphin trips from Hurghada compares every wild option.

Who runs Dolphin World

Dolphin World Egypt says it was planned in 2004 and opened to the public in 2010. Its animals are dolphins, sea lions and a walrus. Its own site is in English, Russian, German and French, and it publishes no legal company name or owner.

It is sold within the Egypt Sun Marine group's network: Egypt Sun Marine's site says it operates Dolphin World, and Dolphin World resells Egypt Sun Marine's Royal Seascope semi-submarine and its Pirates sailing boat. That is why the Family Day Out package includes a Royal Seascope trip. More on that company in our Egypt Sun Marine review.

The Dolphin World show, swims and photo sessions

• The show runs daily at 10:30 and lasts 60 minutes; the venue says daily, but one reseller lists Sunday to Friday, so confirm if you plan a Saturday. If you come without the transfer, arrive by 10:00. Dolphins perform tricks such as painting and playing ball, alongside sea lions and the walrus. Phones are allowed for photos during the show.
• Pool swims are short: the venue lists an individual swim of 5 minutes, a duo of 10 minutes and a family session of 15 minutes; Headout's swim listing says 10 minutes. Swimsuit, towel and life vest are provided.
• Photo sessions put you beside a dolphin in the pool. Phones are forbidden during swim and photo sessions, and the on-site photographers' pictures cost extra.

The venue also advertises "dolphin therapy" for children with developmental needs. It publishes no credentials or outcomes, and we do not recommend it.

This is not snorkeling, and it is not a substitute for the sea. If your children want to see marine life up close without swimming, the Royal Seascope semi-submarine or the Grand Aquarium are the alternatives we would choose; our family guide has more.

Dolphin World Hurghada tickets and prices

On its own site Dolphin World sells packages rather than a show-only ticket (no show-only gate price is published):

For the show and transfers, children under 6 go free and those aged 6–12 pay half. A return transfer on its own costs $5 for adults and $3 for children aged 6–12.

On the platforms, the show ticket is the main product:

Today Headout's show ticket is $4 cheaper than GetYourGuide's, but Headout's show and pool-swim listings are non-cancellable, while GetYourGuide's default is free cancellation up to 24 hours before unless the listing says otherwise. Check what each includes — transfers are optional on Headout.

◔ Half day

GetYourGuide0 h

Hurghada: Dolphin World Show with Walruses and Pickup

4.3 (1,513)

from $23Check dates

◐ Full day

Headout1 h

Hurghada Dolphin World Show Tickets with Optional Transfers

4.5 (27)

from $19Check dates

◐ Full day

Headout3 h

Hurghada Dolphin World Show & Meet-the-Dolphin Photo Experience with Optional Transfers

4.9 (8)

from $59Check dates

◐ Full day

Headout3 h

Hurghada Dolphin World Show with Dolphin Swim Session & Optional Transfers

5.0 (3)

from $79Check dates

Dolphin World Egypt on GetYourGuide →Dolphin World Egypt on Headout →Prices checked on 20 October 2026

Headout also sells a show with a swim session from $79, an "ultimate" package of show, swim and photos from $109, and a pool swim with hotel transfers from $75. That last one has no reviews yet, is non-cancellable and excludes a €10 VAT charge payable in cash — the venue's own $70 swim package, with show, lunch and transfers, is cheaper.

The welfare question

The criticism is specific, and you should know it before you buy a ticket.

HEPCA, the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association, reported in 2013 that two dolphins were flown into Hurghada at night and taken to Dolphin World Egypt in Makadi Bay to replace dolphins that had died in its care. You can read HEPCA's 2013 report in full. HEPCA campaigns to ban dolphinaria in the Red Sea and asks international tour operators not to sell them, arguing that there is no need to watch captive dolphins when wild pods live off Egypt's coast.

The venue does not publish how many dolphins it keeps or where they came from. We found no newer independent report on its animals. What we can say is that the product — trained marine mammals performing for an audience, and paid swims with them — is exactly what HEPCA opposes and what GetYourGuide's new policy bans.

Dolphin World Hurghada reviews: what to check

The show listing on GetYourGuide is rated 4.3 from 1,513 reviews; the Headout show ticket 4.5 from 27. Ratings tell you whether the day ran smoothly, not how the animals live. Before you book, check:

• Which package you are buying — show only, photos, or a swim — and how long the swim is.
• Cancellation terms — the Headout listings cannot be cancelled.
• Transfers — included, optional, or charged per person.
• Photo costs — your phone stays in the locker during swims.
• The day of the week, if you plan a Saturday.

How to book Dolphin World

You can book on dolphinworldegypt.com, where the packages and transfer prices are listed; on GetYourGuide, where the show ticket includes pick-up; or on Headout, where it is cheapest but non-cancellable.

Alternatives: wild dolphins done by the rules

If seeing dolphins is the point, go to sea. Dolphin House day boats start at roughly $21–50 per person on the platforms, less than the pool swim. The dolphins are wild: some days they are there and calm, some days not, and no operator can promise them.

Choose a boat that follows the HEPCA dolphin code: it waits at the moorings, keeps 30 m from the dolphins, never chases them, briefs you before you swim and lends you a lifejacket. Swimmers enter gently and never touch or feed them. Start with our Dolphin House guide and dolphin trips from Hurghada.